GUYANA National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) will join in the annual observance of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on the third Sunday of this month.

The local organisation said the occasion is annually observed by an increasing number of countries on every continent.
The day is dedicated to remembering the many millions killed or injured in road crashes and their families and communities, as well as pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals who, daily, deal with the traumatic aftermath of road deaths and injuries.
GNRSC acknowledged that those deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic events, the impact of which is long-lasting, often permanent. Each year, millions of newly injured and bereaved people from every corner of the world are added to the countless millions already suffering as the result.
It noted that the burden of grief and distress experienced by this huge number of people is all the greater, because many of the victims are young, many of the crashes could and should have been prevented.
The response to road deaths and injuries and to victims and families is often inadequate, unsympathetic, and inappropriate to the loss of or quality of life, as well, GNRSC stated.

Great need
This special Remembrance Day, GNRSC said, is intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering.
“This day has also become an important tool for governments and all those whose work involves crash prevention or response to the aftermath, since it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and the urgent need for concerted action to stop the carnage,”a statement said.
The GNRSC, in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Public Works and all road safety stakeholders, every year observes this Remembrance Day, with a public awareness walk and concert.
In relation to traffic, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said there has been a decrease, by five road fatalities, at the end of October 2013, in comparison to the same period in 2012.
The statistics show 85 fatalities from 79 accidents in 2013 as compared to 90 fatalities from 83 accidents during 2012. The period January 1 to October 31, 2013, saw reductions in relation to the other traffic accidents, categorised as serious, minor or involving damage.
So far, pedestrians have been the main road users affected, with 29 such having lost their lives at the end of October 2013.
In addition, 14 motorcyclists, 12 pedal cyclists, 12 drivers of motor vehicles, two pillion riders and 16 passengers of motor vehicles also lost their lives.
However, speeding continues to be a major contributing factor to fatal accidents and was the cause of 55 of the 79 fatalities that occurred by the end of October 2013.
Traffic enforcement by the Police, during the period January to October 2013, resulted in a total of 72,216 cases being made against errant motorists and, of those, 18,810 were for speeding.